Teen Invents Headphones that Use AI to Treat & Detect Ear Infections
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Here’s how California native Leanne Fan combines medical treatment and music in these ingenious headphones.
14-year-old Leanne Fan was awarded the top prize at the 2022 3M Young Scientist Challenge for her “Finsen Headphones.” This one-of-a-kind device detects and treats middle ear infections.
The Finsen headphones take their name from Nobel Prize winner Niels Finsen. The Danish physician pioneered modern phototherapy, which uses ultraviolet light to cure skin diseases. With it, Finsen treated over 800 lupus vulgaris cases during his life. Of that number, more than 400 yielded successful results.
Fan, a 9th grader from San Diego, cites phototherapy as her favorite invention. She also says that it was the inspiration behind her headphones:
“Phototherapy has been overshadowed for decades due to the popularity and ease of use of antibiotics. Phototherapy is also commonly used for eczema and acne and is a non-medicinal way of killing bacteria and treating diseases. It is very versatile and has endless possibilities, and inspired me to start my project.” – Leanne FanThe Prevalence of Ear Infections in Kids
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